Annual Plant Reviews, The Plant Hormone Ethylene

The plant hormone ethylene is one of the most important, being one
of the first chemicals to be determined as a naturally-occurring
growth regulator and influencer of plant development. It was also
the first hormone for which significant evidence was found for the
presence of receptors.

This important new volume in Annual Plant Reviews is
broadly divided into three parts. The first part covers the
biosynthesis of ethylene and includes chapters on
S-adenosylmethionine and the formation and fate of ACC in plant
cells. The second part of the volume covers ethylene signaling,
including the perception of ethylene by plant cells, CTR proteins,
MAP kinases and EIN2 / EIN3. The final part covers the control by
ethylene of cell function and development, including seed
development, germination, plant growth, cell separation, fruit
ripening, senescent processes, and plant-pathogen interactions.

The Plant Hormone Ethylene is an extremely valuable
addition to Wiley-Blackwell's Annual Plant Reviews. With
contributions from many of the world's leading researchers in
ethylene, and edited by Professor Michael McManus of Massey
University, this volume will be of great use and interest to a wide
range of plant scientists, biochemists and chemists. All
universities and research establishments where plant sciences,
biochemistry, chemistry, life sciences and agriculture are studied
and taught should have access to this important volume.

Auteur
Michael McManus is Professor at the Institute of Molecular Biosciences at Massey University, New Zealand. He is also an Editorial Board Member of Annual Plant Reviews.

Résumé
The plant hormone ethylene is one of the most important, being one of the first chemicals to be determined as a naturally-occurring growth regulator and influencer of plant development. It was also the first hormone for which significant evidence was found for the presence of receptors. This important new volume in Annual Plant Reviews is broadly divided into three parts. The first part covers the biosynthesis of ethylene and includes chapters on S-adenosylmethionine and the formation and fate of ACC in plant cells. The second part of the volume covers ethylene signaling, including the perception of ethylene by plant cells, CTR proteins, MAP kinases and EIN2 / EIN3. The final part covers the control by ethylene of cell function and development, including seed development, germination, plant growth, cell separation, fruit ripening, senescent processes, and plant-pathogen interactions.

The Plant Hormone Ethylene is an extremely valuable addition to Wiley-Blackwell's Annual Plant Reviews. With contributions from many of the world's leading researchers in ethylene, and edited by Professor Michael McManus of Massey University, this volume will be of great use and interest to a wide range of plant scientists, biochemists and chemists. All universities and research establishments where plant sciences, biochemistry, chemistry, life sciences and agriculture are studied and taught should have access to this important volume.

Contenu
List of Contributors xv Preface xxiii

**1 100 Years of Ethylene A Personal View 1
Don Grierson

1.1 Introduction 1

1.2 Ethylene biosynthesis 2

1.3 Ethylene perception and signalling 7

1.4 Differential responses to ethylene 9

1.5 Ethylene and development 10

1.6 Looking ahead 13

Acknowledgements 14

References 14

2 Early Events in the Ethylene Biosynthetic Pathway Regulation of the Pools of Methionine and S-Adenosylmethionine 19
Katharina B¨ urstenbinder and Margret Sauter

2.1 Introduction 20

2.2 The metabolism of Met and SAM 22

2.3 Regulation of de novo Met synthesis 25

2.4 Regulation of the SAM pool 27

2.4.1 Regulation of SAMS genes by ethylene and of SAMS enzyme activity by protein-S-nitrosylation 29

2.5 The activated methyl cycle 30

2.6 The S-methylmethionine cycle 32

2.7 The methionine or Yang cycle 35

2.7.1 The Yang cycle in relation to polyamine and nicotianamine biosynthesis 39

2.7.2 Regulation of the Yang cycle in relation to ethylene synthesis 40

2.8 Conclusions 42

Acknowledgement 43

References 44

**3 The Formation of ACC and Competition Between Polyamines and Ethylene for SAM 53
Smadar Harpaz-Saad, Gyeong Mee Yoon, Autar K. Mattoo, and Joseph J. Kieber

3.1 Introduction 53

3.2 Identification and characterization of ACC synthase activity in plants 54

3.2.1 Historical overview 54

3.2.2 Purification and properties of the ACC synthase protein 56

3.3 Analysis of ACC synthase at the transcriptional level 58

3.3.1 Molecular cloning of ACC synthase genes 58

3.3.2 Transcriptional regulation of the ACC synthase gene family 59

3.4 Post-transcriptional regulation of ACS 62

3.4.1 Identification and characterization of interactions with ETO1 62

3.4.2 Regulation of ACS degradation 64

3.5 Does ACC act as a signal? 65

3.6 Biosynthesis and physiology of polyamines 67

3.6.1 SAM is a substrate for polyamines 67

3.6.2 Physiology of polyamine effects in vitro and in vivo 67

3.6.3 Concurrent biosynthesis of ethylene and polyamines 70

3.6.4 Do plant cells invoke a homeostatic regulation of SAM levels? 72

Acknowledgements 72

References 72

**4 The Fate of ACC in Higher Plants 83
Sarah J. Dorling and Michael T. McManus

4.1 Introduction 83

4.2 History of the discovery of ACC oxidase as the ethylene-forming enzyme 84

4.2.1 Early characterization of ACC oxidase 84

4.2.2 Cloning of the ethylene-forming enzyme as an indicator of enzyme activity 85

4.2.3 Initial biochemical demonstration of ethylene-forming enzyme activity in vitro 86

4.3 Mechanism of the ACC oxidase-catalyzed reaction 86

4.3.1 Investigation of the ACO reaction mechanism 87

4.3.2 Metabolism of HCN 89

4.3.3 Evidence of the conjugation of ACC 91

4.4 Transcriptional regulation of ACC oxidase 92

4.4.1 ACO multi-gene families 92

4.4.2 Differential expression of members of ACO multi-gene families in response to developmental and environmental stimuli 94

4.4.3 Transcriptional regulation of ACO gene expression 96

4.4.4 Crosstalk between ethylene signalling elements and ACO gene expression 97

4.5 Translational regulation of ACC oxidase 97

4.6 Evidence that ACC oxidase acts as a control point in ethylene biosynthesis 100

4.6.1 Cell-specific expression of ACC oxidase 102

4.6.2 Differential expression of ACS and ACO genes 103

4.7 Evolutionary aspects of ACC oxidase 104

Acknowledgements 105

References 105 **5 Perception of Ethylene by Plants Ethylene Receptors 117&lt...